Prime Minister and Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament on Tuesday that 4,570 smart boards are being imported and distributed to schools across Sri Lanka, drawn from three separate funding streams.
Answering a question from MP Rohini Kumari Wijeratna, the Prime Minister said 1,000 smart boards bought under 2024 Telecommunications Regulatory Commission allocations have already been distributed to 1,000 schools, Hiru News reported.
A further 900 boards were imported under a Chinese aid project for 2026, of which 500 have reached schools with installation under way. The remaining 2,670 were procured provincially under the Digital Task Force and Ministry of Digital Economy allocations, and are also being installed. The three tranches account for the full 4,570.
Where they are going
The 2,670 boards funded through the Digital Economy Ministry are split across all nine provinces:
| Province | Boards |
|---|---|
| North Western | 524 |
| Western | 481 |
| Eastern | 371 |
| Uva | 363 |
| Southern | 311 |
| North Central | 200 |
| Central | 170 |
| Sabaragamuwa | 150 |
| Northern | 100 |
The North Western Province receives the largest share and the Northern Province the smallest — a spread the Prime Minister did not explain, and which does not track provincial school populations in any obvious way.
Amarasuriya said the aim is to digitise classrooms and bring modern technology closer to students. The work sits under an education digitalisation programme the Prime Minister reviewed at Parliament in July, run through a task force covering school digital infrastructure, internet access and computers.
The report does not say when the outstanding boards will be installed, what they cost, or whether teacher training accompanies them.